


Winter Is Here

by Jerevinan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Christmas, Cooking, Dinner, Domestic Bliss, Fluff, Holiday Dinner, Holiday Sweaters, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 11:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: One of Ignis' greatest pleasures in cooking is seeing how many people are happy as they eat the meal he prepares for them. But the best gift of all is what they give to him in return.





	Winter Is Here

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays! :D
> 
> This was originally written for Ignis Fluff, but things have been busy and complicated, so I decided to post it for Christmas.

Frost clung to the outside of the window when Ignis first pulled aside the blind that morning. The sun had yet to come up, but he pulled his robe tighter and considered climbing back into the warm covers on the bed. 

Noctis remained curled in the covers. Prompto and Gladiolus woke up before Ignis to get their daily jog in and shower before their festive day.

Winter always meant cooking, and Ignis looked forward to continuing the preparations he started a few days ago. His hands had spent the past week rolling bread dough with flour powdering his arms almost to the elbow, stirring simmering pie fillings, patting down crust into dishes, and dipping his homemade sweets into melted chocolate. The process wore him out, but it had its merits—like when Noctis would snatch a piece of candy when he thought Ignis had his back turned.

Ignis dressed and fetched his glasses from the bedside table. Noctis stirred but did not wake. Ignis slid the carbuncle figurine closer to him in the hopes Noctis would still have sweet dreams even without anyone to warm the bed beside him.

The back door banged open as soon as Ignis finished tying his apron around his waist. Prompto poked his head into the kitchen on his way through the back hallway.

“Need any help, Iggy? We’re gonna take a shower, but after that, you’ve got me all morning.”

“Thank you, Prompto.” He could rely on Prompto to wash the dishes while he focused on their meal.

Prompto pecked his cheek before skipping up the stairs after Gladiolus. The house fell quiet for a blessed half hour. The timer on the oven clicked in reminder of the baking chickatrice Ignis had carefully marinated. He listened to it while he finished off his first cup of coffee and refilled his mug for a second. 

The silence was broken by the indignant cry of a waking Noctis. It reached Ignis even from a floor below.

“Gladio! Get off! I’m waking, I’m waking!”

Ignis smiled into his cup. No doubt Gladiolus had tackled Noctis in bed as he often did in the mornings to rouse him. Was it already so late in the morning? The time blinked at Ignis—a reminder to return to work.

His fingers swished through grains of rice as he rinsed them in a strainer. Prompto joined him in the kitchen and took his place at the sink to wash utensils and pans as soon as Ignis finished using them. He scrubbed countertops, and for all his good deeds, Ignis rewarded him with a smooch.

Prompto decided little pecks were not good enough and wrapped his arms around Ignis’ neck to keep him in place.

“Why don’t I get one of those?” asked Gladiolus from the doorway. Noctis, complete with bed hair and still in his sweats and tee, drifted up behind him.

Noctis spoke as he yawned. “Yeah, where’s mine?”

“Did either of you help me with the dishes?” asked Ignis, still forcibly bent down by the strong arms around his neck. 

“I woke Noctis up,” Gladiolus offered.

“Yes, thank you, Gladio.”

Noctis closed his eyes and leaned against the door frame. “Nope. Still sleepy.”

“If you can convince him to shower and dress before our guests arrive, you might just get a kiss.”

“Hey, how come he gets a kiss, if I’m the one who has to do all that stuff half-asleep?” Noctis puffed out his cheeks, making him look more like the little boy Ignis met years ago than a man in his twenties. He snatched a muffin from the basket on the countertop and nibbled on it.

“You’ll get a kiss, too,” Ignis promised. He turned his head so his lips met Prompto’s again. Prompto let out a soft squeal in delight before pressing further against Ignis.

Noctis yawned before stumbling out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“How many people are coming?” asked Gladiolus. “I’ll set the table.”

“Eight,” said Ignis, untangling himself from Prompto’s arms. “Twelve, including us.”

Gladiolus’ eyebrow shot up. “Big party.”

“Well, Luna will be here with Nyx, Libertus, and Crowe,” said Ignis, ticking the names off on his fingers. “Regis, Clarus, Iris, and Cor.”

Ignis no longer had any living relatives in Insomnia, and Prompto never mentioned inviting his parents. They had been too busy for him most of their lives, always leaving Ignis wondering why they would bother to adopt a child at all.

“What about Talcott?” asked Gladiolus as he opened the cabinets and began pulling out their finest dinnerware.

“A friend’s family invited him out to their Vesperpool cabin,” said Ignis. “He promised me he would make it up to us when he returned.”

“Better,” muttered Gladiolus. “Families should be together on holidays like this.”

“He’s fourteen.”

“Yeah, cut him some slack.” Prompto carried a stack of bowls over to the dining table. “He doesn’t want to hang out with a bunch of old people.”

“Who’re you calling old?” asked Gladiolus as he began setting down plates. He scooted a few of the table decorations aside to make room, adjusting his place settings when he was finished to best even out the spaces. “We’re gonna be bumpin’ elbows, but I guess the more the merrier. You gonna invite Luna’s family every year?”

“Now that she lives in Insomnia, I intend to ask them every year.”

“I guess it’s a good thing Crowe’s still pregnant. We’ll have to get a high chair in here next year.”

“We’ll need a second table,” said Ignis, knowing full well they had no place for another even in such a large, open space. Still, that was another challenge, and Ignis did not mind facing it down and coming up with a solution. He could manage a giant meal with almost no help at all except Prompto’s dishwashing and the desserts Iris would bring over. “Maybe next year we should serve food buffet-style, lining it up on the cabinets.”

Gladiolus paused in placing down silverware. “Would’ve been a good idea this year, if you asked me.”

“Too late now. You’ve already set the table. I might as well make use of it. Besides, you’ve earned your kiss.”

Gladiolus waited until Ignis finished with preparing the green bean casserole—a dish that Noctis wouldn’t even allow to sit near his place at the table because he couldn’t stand the sight of it—before he received his reward. Gladiolus took more liberties than Prompto, cupping a large palm over Ignis’ ass and giving it a rub. He slapped it lightly when he pulled away.

“Thanks for all this, Iggy,” said Gladiolus. 

“Yes, thank you!” Prompto pecked Ignis’ cheek.

They hadn’t eaten yet, and still Ignis’ chest felt warm with delight that they were already pleased. Their reactions would make it worth it, when they sat down and tasted some of the new dishes he prepared especially for this year. 

Noctis shuffled into the kitchen not long after Ignis took the chickatrice out of the oven and began slicing it up to serve. His fingers closed around a piece of tender meat, and despite its heat, he popped it in his mouth.

“Kiss?” Noctis requested after he finished chewing.

“You keep stealing food before dinner,” said Ignis, pretending to turn away. 

Noctis caught the knot at the back of his apron and pulled him closer. He wrapped his arms around his waist and snuggled against his back.

“Thanks, Specs.”

“You’re welcome.” Ignis smiled and relaxed against Noctis. “If you release me, you might get your kiss.”

“You owe me two.”

“Oh?”

“One is my ‘good morning, Noct’ kiss, the other is a reward for being ready this early in the day. And no pecks, those don’t count.”

Ignis snorted softly but turned in Noctis’ arms to oblige. After two especially long kisses, Noctis seemed pleased and trotted off to sit at one of the stools along the cabinet—the one with all the confectionaries lined up.

“Those are for later,” said Ignis without glancing over his shoulder. He didn’t need to see to know Noctis’ fingers were dancing close to the chocolate-dipped cookies. Not that Noctis listened to him. Ignis heard the soft snap of a cookie breaking between teeth.

“Delicious,” said Noctis through a mouthful.

“Thank you. Now stop stealing sweets and keep a lookout for our guests. They’re going to arrive shortly, and I need to get the rolls in the oven.”

Ignis’ shoulders ached from the constant stirring of food, chopping of vegetables, and pounding of dough, but it wouldn’t be long before everyone could sit and enjoy the meal of his hard labor.

~*~

Praise came in heaps, and Ignis’ cheeks warmed from both the compliments and the cider. Although he had faith in everything he cooked and baked, all he needed were their smiles to be pleased with what he had prepared for dinner.

“This is the best cockatrice I’ve ever had,” said Clarus, helping himself to another serving. 

“How did you season this? It’s perfect!” Iris scooped more sweet potato into her mouth.

Noctis scooted his chair back violently when asked to pass the green bean casserole. He curled his nose at the sweet potatoes despite being told they were a cousin of fries—“I’m not a kid, I know what they are!”—and scooted the onions out of the cream sauce over the cockatrice. 

“You’re not a kid, but you eat like one,” teased Crowe, spearing a piece of meat from her plate. “I hope ours doesn’t turn out to be this picky.”

“No kid is as picky as Noct,” said Gladiolus.

Ignis hadn’t met a lot of children, but he agreed. “It’s a Noct thing.”

“Maybe if vegetables weren’t weird and disgusting…” Noctis buttered another roll. For every bite of vegetables he refused, he made up for it with bread or meat. 

Still, Noctis hummed is approval when he bit into the roll or sipped on his homemade cider. Nyx and Clarus fought gently over the last stuffed mushroom until Iris stole it out from under both of them.

Crowe skirted around the issue of baby names while Luna threw out several suggestions. It led into a conversation about different customs for childbirth in Tenebrae and Galahd, and Luna found herself outnumbered in patriotism for her homeland.

Ignis had a chuckle as they affectionately bickered over the colors of the baby’s nursery. 

“You’re seven months along,” said Gladiolus. “Shouldn’t you figure out something soon?”

Crowe rolled her eyes. “We’ve been arguing about this for months.”

“They have,” said Clarus. “I’m knitting a baby blanket, and we had to decide which corners the arrows and sylleblossoms should go. It took them two hours to decide.”

But despite the frustration, the expecting parents had a laugh over their disagreements. Ignis couldn’t imagine how tricky it might be for them. He had already made up his mind where to place the high chair for next year’s dinner and still add Talcott. They would run out of space if these dinners continued to grow. 

While everyone chattered, Prompto, Libertus, and Nyx cleared the dishes and started to wash them. The compliments poured in again when Noctis whined about desserts waiting for them. Their guests descended upon the pies, cookies, and cakes waiting for them. 

“Did you use a little coffee in this chocolate cake?” asked Nyx.

“Yes, just a splash. If I added too much, Noctis would have complained.”

Nyx scooped up another forkful. “It’s good. My compliments to the baker.”

“Thank you.” 

“Oh, that reminds me!” Noctis shoveled a few more candies into his mouth before he dashed out of the room and up the stairs.

“Hmm?” Ignis glanced at Prompto and Gladiolus for answers, but both turned away from his gaze purposefully. Prompto fought a smile. “What are you three up to?”

“Something nice, I bet,” chirped Crowe as she bit the head off a sugar cookie chocobo. 

“It’s nothing,” said Prompto in a voice that meant it had to be something special.

Noctis returned with a knitted bundle in his arms. He unfolded it, holding out a winter cardigan by the sleeves. Snowflakes and chocobos wearing caps with pompoms on them decorated the sleeves and torso. It was green, white, and blue.

“This is for you!”

“Me?”

“We thought you could keep nice and warm,” said Gladiolus. “Noctis saw it at the store and thought of you.”

It was utterly ridiculous and perfect for the holiday. Ignis reached for it, delighted by the soft, fluffy touch of the cashmere wool.

“Put it on,” said Prompto.

Ignis pulled his arms through the sleeves and did up the buttons. 

“Thank you for all the food, Specs,” said Noctis, throwing his arms around Ignis’ neck. Gladiolus and Prompto joined them, and Ignis nearly lost his balance. He laughed. He wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else, doing anything else, at that moment.


End file.
